Coins

Six Centimes 1850 Haiti

A six centimes coin from Haiti, dated 1850. The obverse carries the words Liberte Independence and Six Centimes Un Quart. The reverse carries the date and the words Faustin 1er Empereur d'Haiti.

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Faustin Soulouque was born a slave&nbsp;in 1782. He became president of Haiti in 1847. Two years later he forced the national assembly to declare him Emperor. Although he had been a competent army officer in his youth, as emperor he led a disastrous attempt to conquer the Dominican Republic. As a result, he lost authority to rule, and was forced to abdicate in 1859. After a period of forced exile, he returned to Haiti, where he died in 1867.